“The things you…what do you mean?”
I swayed my hips so my dick nudged his, then I leaned in and brushed a kiss on his cheek. “I like you. A lot. I have for a while. And…I want to see you again.”
“Like on a date?” he squeaked.
I smiled. “Yeah. A date.”
“Can you date a guy? I mean, you’re a hockey person with an ex who’s keeping tabs on you. And maybe this is a ‘heat of the moment’ thing. Maybe you’re attracted to people who go out of their way to prove how dorky they can be. I told you monkey bars weren’t my thing. I’d hate for you to wake up tomorrow morning and wonder if tonight was all a bad dream.”
“Trust me, that’s not gonna happen.” I kissed him again, resting my arms over his shoulders. “Look, I can go out with whomever I want, but I can’t come out right away.”
He pursed his lips. “All right. Um, I’ll give you my number. You can call me sometime. Maybe next month or the month after that, we can meet up for coffee.”
“We can do that now. Gimme your phone. Are you free Monday?”
Ned looked a little shell-shocked, but he handed over his cell with a nod. “Monday is good. Um, I have to work till eleven, then—”
“I’ll swing by the bookstore and pick you up. We can walk to Starbucks from there.”
“People will see us, you know.”
“So?”
He regarded me curiously for a moment and shrugged. “Whatever. I won’t be insulted if you don’t show up.”
“I wouldn’t do that, Nedster. And I wouldn’t make a date I didn’t want to keep either. Not my style.”
He furrowed his brows and fixed me with a pensive stare before shivering like a leaf. “Okay, um…it’s freezing out here. Do you mind if I give your T-shirt and sweatshirt back to you Monday?”
I slipped his cell into his pocket, then hugged him impulsively. “Keep ’em. For my mom’s sake. Or give them to me Monday…or next week. C’mon. Let’s grab that blanket and wrap you up like a pig in a pancake.”
“You mean a pig in a blanket?” Ned suggested in amusement.
“Nah, pig in a pancake sounds better. A stack of pancakes and a side of sausage sounds kinda good right now.” I hooked my arm over his shoulders and led him toward the pirate ship.
“Yeah, but it’s only a pig in a blanket if it’s wrapped in the pancake, not served separately.”
“Oh, wow. You are a dork, aren’t ya?” I teased. I jumped onto the ship and picked up the blanket before patting the empty space beside me. “I like that about you.”
He cocked his head and grinned. “You like that I’m a dork?”
“Yeah, you’re real. You know who you are, and you know what you like, and you don’t care what anyone else thinks. I wish I was more like that sometimes.”
Ned studied me intently, no doubt catching the melancholy tone in my voice. “You seem pretty confident to me.”
I flashed a megawatt grin as I motioned for him to join me again. “I am. Enough about me. Come on, Nedster. Recite the periodic table or tell me something about engineering.”
Ned rolled his eyes, but he didn’t bother hiding his smile. “You sure you don’t want to go home?”
“No, I’d rather hang out with you.” The sappy sentiment seemed a little over-the-top, so I quickly added, “If you get too deep into the science shit and put me to sleep, just give me a nudge.”
“Deal.”
We sat side-by-side with the blanket around us, swapping silly stories under a cloak of darkness. I didn’t know how long we stayed there. Lights flickered in the nearby homes, but other than the occasional car or two passing on the residential street, it was quiet. And it felt infinitely safe; I could almost believe we were in a secret bubble. Nothing could touch us here on this little plastic pirate ship. My issues with the ex who didn’t want to let go, the end of my college hockey career, and the very real fear of the future…they didn’t matter. Nothing mattered but the press of Ned’s thigh against mine, the deep timbre of his voice, and the incredible feeling that I’d met someone special.
3
Ned
Kendra always called early. Even on weekends. I should have turned off the volume on my phone, but I’d tumbled into bed way too late to remember details like muting my best friend. I stifled a groan as I swiped the sleep from my eyes and answered.
“ ’Lo,” I croaked.
“O-M-G. All caps and twenty exclamation points! Where did you go last night? I have so much to tell you. I tried calling your cell, but you didn’t pick up and—I think he likes me!”
I held my phone from my ear when she squealed like a banshee. I sat up gingerly and glanced at my watch. Nine thirty. Huh. I never slept in this late, even on weekends. It was after two a.m. when Logan had dropped me off at my car. We’d hung out in the park until the wind kicked up a cool breeze and his stomach started growling. He talked me into going to a Del Taco drive-thru. We feasted on a late-night snack of bean-and-cheese quesadillas and sipped soda while we chatted some more. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d spent an entire evening just talking.